Did You Dream?
by Master of Chronicles
Summary: After Chaos' defeat, Cloud returns home. A tale of how the war of the gods affected the friendship of two people in the world of Final Fantasy VII. Oneshot.


**A/N: Having just seen the entire Dissida storyline, I couldn't help but write this little oneshot and my very first Cloud/Tifa fiction! If any of you out there are surprised at this, in view my Cloud/Lightning stories, I need to inform you that I am a 'Cloti' fan first. It's in part why my Cloud/Lightning are so out of character because I'm trying to convince myself that they make a great couple when I am actually rooting for the home girl. **

**WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! BIG TIME! Oh, and please remember leave your thoughts as reviews. It lets me know if oneshots are worth it and how I can improve of them and what YOU would like to see next.  
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><p>Did You Dream?<p>

"Perhaps…we can go on a mission together again."

Cloud looked over his shoulder at the young man who made the suggestion. He smiled at thinking just how much Squall Leonhart had changed over the course of their final Cycle. The Lone Wolf had finally found his pack. But Cloud knew exactly what Squall's suggestion would entail; for the war to continue, for more endless battles and self-doubts, for more trudging through despair. It wasn't something he particularly enjoyed thinking about.

Which is why, just as Squall faded back to his world, Cloud answered, "Not interested."

Holding on tightly to his materia shaped crystal, Cloud nodded good-bye to the others, shouldered his massive sword and headed off into the field of yellow flowers, vanishing into a wisp of magic energy, back to his home.

xxxxxx

It was far into the night when Cloud reached the fields just outside the ruined Midgar. He hadn't had a vehicle of any sort when he returned, alone in the middle of a green meadow not too different from the one in which he had left his friends, so he walked the vast distance back alone. It took him a whole day.

And as far as he was concerned, he needed that time. For as he walked, Cloud began to think back about the adventure he had just lived through and the greater implications of it all.

In the final Cycle, there had been ten warriors for Cosmos, which meant ten different realities from which they were summoned. So many strangers, each one with their different tales of adventure and sorrow, life and death. Cloud's mind wandered to Tidus and Jecht, father and son too angry with one another to make peace, but too caring for each other not to. Terra, the half human, half Esper, who will more than likely be always burdened to contain her true power, but has the strength of heart to endure. And there was Firion with his dream. Whereas Cloud had struggled just to find a reason to fight, those he thought of had already known their cause.

And even some on the side of Chaos had taught him lessons. Golbez proved one can find redemption, a living example of how the deepest darkest can harbor the warmest light. Kefka taught Cloud that a broken heart can't be filled with destruction, only repaired by love and hope. Ultimecia wanted control over time, but one can only cherish the time one has instead of obsessing over its loss.

Cloud didn't know if he would be able to change who he was, meditating on all this, but he sure aimed to try.

Lifting his gaze from the ground right before his feet, Cloud saw the dim lights of the growing town of Edge. It was still very small, and couldn't fully fend for it's as of yet, but if those dwelling there never lost hope, even if swallowed up by darkness, all would end well in time.

Something in the night sky caught his attention. Looking up above, Cloud let out a small breath at the sight of a half full moon shining on the fields near the ruined city. Having seen it hundreds of times before, even making a solemn promise under it, it was the first time Cloud actually felt his heart swell in yearning. How many could say that they stood on the surface on the moon, looking up at the earth which shone like a magic jewel in the midst of black space. Cloud remembered, having just finished a battle with an opponent, resting against a moon rock, looking up at the world with Tifa at his side…

"Tifa!" He cried audibly.

She…she was there! She had been there, as a warrior of Cosmos! Heavens above, she had been the opponent he had fought on that very occasion. But why? Why did he fight her? It was because…because he had been… an agent of Chaos! He had been on the other side! They had just finished their first ever encounter, and that fight had brought back just enough memories for them to remember that they knew each other. That's why they had spent that night together, rediscovering their friendship. He could clearly see Tifa's face smiling up at him, wine dark eyes reflecting the stars, her bottom lip slightly split on account of the fight they hadn't finished.

And…something else. Cloud remembered Tifa's face looking very red around her cheeks, his own feeling quite hot as well.

Had they just kissed?

Cloud's mind raced. What had happened to her? She wasn't there at the final Cycle! Where did she go? He recalled how Cosmos told them at the start of the final Cycle that only ten warriors had _survived_. Did that mean Tifa failed somehow and was sent back, or did she…not make it?

He couldn't wait any longer. Cloud ran the last few miles back to Edge, trying to remember the twists and turns of the new streets that were now shrouded in night's darkness. When he finally found the street he was looking for, Cloud sprinted down the last few hundred meters to the front door.

He was about to kick it open and call out her name when he realized that Marlene would be sleeping and would doubtless get very scared if Cloud started yelling at the top of his voice. Heart thumping loudly in his ears, Cloud grabbed the doorknob, opened it as calmly as possible, and entered the house. All lights were out, so he didn't see the table until it bruised his knee. Chairs and subsequent furniture were similarly discovered. Finally finding a lamp, Cloud turned it on and was greeted with an unexpected sight. The whole place, which had once been the living room, had been converted to a bar. There were several used tables and chairs about, a counter had been installed, and a rack of alcoholic beverages had been set up. His eyes roamed until they rested of the sign hanging over the bar.

It read "Welcome to 7th Heaven!"

Those words held Cloud in place. He remembered how before their departure they had discussed opening a new place for people to come and be with friends, but wasn't that the name of Tifa's old place in Midgar, the very name that reminded them of the terrible things that happened back in those days? Why would she choose that name of all things?

But then relief spread out through Cloud. If this place had finally become the resto-bar he and Tifa had talked about, it meant that she was back…and ok. Cosmos had heard his prayer. Collapsing into a nearby chair, Cloud laid his sword against the wall and buried his face into his hands.

He was home.

Finally.

It was an overwhelming feeling and he needed to compose himself. He had survived thirteen Cycles of a never ending war, fought Sephiroth all over again, not to mention those he would later call friends as he changed sides, witnessed Cosmos' death and Chaos' desire to obliterate all, and had the fate of a realm and possibly each and every other reality in existence on the shoulders of himself and nine others. And now here he was, sitting on a wooden chair that had one short leg, in a bar inside his own house, late at night. The transition was something that could really boggle the mind.

But that was life, wasn't it?

When Cloud looked back up again, he noticed the various drawings on the wall. Each were of himself, Tifa and Barret, every one of them signed 'Marline Wolace'. She still couldn't spell her name right. But the images were happy ones and they made Cloud smile. Rising up, the young man headed for the stairs that led to the bedrooms. He walked by his first, then Tifa's, which was empty, then finally Marlene's. Cloud cracked the door open, seeing the little bump underneath the bed covers, the sound of steady breathing assuring him that she was alright.

Unable to help himself, Cloud stepped in and pulled up the very chair Barret would use when sitting down to tell Marlene a story of their adventures, albeit a heavily edited version, before putting her to bed. Cloud sat down and put his hands together as he leaned forward, studying the sleeping child by the faint light that entered through the open door.

_Well? What dreams would you have for her?_ The question inside his head came with Firion's voice.

"A world where a little girl can play in a field of wild roses," Cloud whispered to the dark, "without ever having to worry about monsters."

The sound of footsteps approaching caused Cloud to turn towards the door. He saw a dark shape appear, blocking the faint light. The figure was still for a while, leading Cloud to guess that he was at an angle where he couldn't be seen.

"Sleep tight." Said the figure to Marlene sweetly before closing the door. It was Tifa's voice!

Cloud almost bolted out of the chair, but remembered sleeping Marlene and held back, gently rising instead. He leaned over and gave the girl a kiss on the forehead before heading out the room. He felt chills at seeing Tifa's shadow disappear at the bottom of the stairs towards the bar counter. The sound of bumping glasses and a running faucet told Cloud she was getting some water and had her back to the stairs. He lightly went down the steps, which still managed to creak.

She heard it.

"Sorry, Marlene. Did I wake you…?"

Tifa gasped as she turned her around and saw him, dropping the glass of water into the sink. She looked exactly as Cloud remembered, with her long auburn hair, deep red eyes and full lips, dressed in a white shirt and dark miniskirt with suspenders. One big difference was that she didn't look battle weary anymore, like she had in his memories.

The couple ran into each other's arms, squeezing tightly as though afraid it might not be real. Tifa was on the verge of tears, her eyes getting red whereas Cloud felt his heart swell with a mixture of joy, relief, exhaustion and affection.

Tifa kissed him on the side of his face. "You're back! I'm so happy you're safe."

She kissed him again, long and tenderly like one does when seeing a loved one believed to be in mortal danger with little hope of seeing again. Tifa had barely slept an hour since her return, keeping herself busy instead.

After several moments, Cloud said. "Tifa, we…"

"Not now. Let me just hold you for a little longer. It hurts too much to let you go."

He gladly obliged, evening go so far was to twirl her around when they both started getting excited and broke into laughter.

"You idiot!" Tifa mocked punched him in the chest after they finally stepped back. "What's the idea of sneaking around the house like that? Were you trying to scare me to death!"

"I'm sorry!" Cloud laughed. "I didn't want to wake Marlene."

Tifa pushed longs strands of hair out of her face. "I thought it was odd the lights were turned on. I thought she had woken up for some reason. Of course I had to miss **that **entirely."

She was pointing to Cloud's sword resting in the corner of the room. They both laughed some more before sitting down on some of Tifa's new stools.

"Wow, this place!" Cloud said in wonder, looking around the new bar. "How long have I been gone?"

"Two weeks, I think. Thankfully time was relative where we were, so Marlene wasn't alone long when we were both summoned. When I got back only a few hours had passed. I hoped that you would've been back any second. By the time evening came I was worried."

Tifa looked at Cloud expectantly. "So…?"

"So what?" Cloud asked.

"What happened? Who won? How did it end?" She sounded so excited it was hard to believe it had all been a big test for the two of them.

Cloud seemed at a loss for words. "Well…uh…we, uh…got our crystals and destroyed Cosmos-"

"You destroyed Cosmos!" Tifa exclaimed. "Chaos won?"

"Choas! I meant we destroyed Chaos, with the crystals Cosmos gave us." Cloud corrected himself, feeling as if he was trying to recollect a distant, faded out dream.

Tifa cocked her head to one side. "Cosmos gave you a crystal?"

"Yeah. This one." Cloud held up the material shaped gifted, handing it to Tifa. "It holds a tenth of her power. She…sacrificed herself to save us. It's a long story, Tifa."

Holding it carefully, the young woman could sense within the crystal a strong force, making her fingers tingle with energy, a certain peace and strength welling up in her soul. "It's beautiful."

"But it wasn't meant for me, was it?" Cloud said suddenly, looking away from Tifa. "When she decided to create the crystals and give her warriors her power, I wasn't among them at the time. I was…on the other side."

Reaching over to guide his gaze in her direction, Tifa asked with a smile. "But this crystal did become yours, Cloud. So what happened to change all that? Why wasn't I brought back in the next cycle after falling to the manikins? Tell me why I was sent back home."

Reaching up to grab her hand, Cloud began the story. "Remember when Sephiroth tried to kill you?"

"Yes. You showed up at the last second and fought him off, just like a hero." Tifa reminisced. "You…you told me that we didn't know each other, that you did it just because you felt like it. You were lying, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She asked softly. "Please tell me the truth, Cloud. There's no need for deception anymore."

Taking a deep breath, Cloud bit his lower lip, taking his time to arrange his words. "Do you remember the entire war?"

"I think so." She replied.

"All the cycles, each and every one of them, with their own stories, battles and defeats?"

Tifa closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I can't say for sure."

"Because I do… mostly. Coming back home, holding this crystal, has restored most of what had been lost. I remember the thirteenth cycle clearly enough, but the others were just a jumble of images at the time. That's why I was searching for a purpose, because I couldn't remember it! It was gone. Until…"

"Until what?" Tifa said in a soft voice.

Cloud nodded. "Something changed. We had beaten Cosmos and her warriors. I had…even finished you myself, because I didn't want anyone else to get pleasure from it. At the time we all thought that it had ended, that we would all go home. But Sephiroth returned after having killed himself, and informed us that it would start from the beginning just as it had countless times before. I…I got angry. I realized that we had been doing this endlessly, winning and losing back and forth. I don't know how many times we fought each other, and then recognize each other, only to have to fight all over again!"

Cloud got up from his seat, pushed passed the tables and chairs until he was facing the windows, looking up at the moon. Tifa quietly joined him.

"I wanted to get you out of there…at any cost." He continued. "And so I challenged the god of destruction to put an end to it."

Her eyes widened in stunned silence. Her heart began to pound in her chest to the point she felt that if she didn't hold it in place it would break out.

"Cloud! That was dangerous! You had no idea if Choas could have killed you permanently!"

"I know. But Tifa, I had to try," was his excuse.

"Y-you…YOU…!" Tifa was so mad she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed Cloud's head between her hands and pressed her lips to his in a long, deep kiss.

They lingered, until the passion of the moment passed.

"You feather-brained chocobo head." Tifa finished as she pulled away, her tone no longer angry, but loving.

Cloud kept staring into her eyes, not believing what had just happened. He finished the story. "I lost to Chaos and was defeated. But before I disappeared, I begged Cosmos to save you, to let you go. So in the next cycle, I guess I took your place."

"My hero." Tifa sighed, still holding Cloud's face. "Still rescuing me, just like you promised."

That earned her a warm smile.

Tifa reached for Cloud's hands, leading him up the stairs towards her room. Cloud was about to protest when she placed a finger on his lips to silence him. Leaving him in the doorway, Tifa went for her desk, removing a journal resting on it, and came back to hand it to Cloud. As she turned on the lights, Cloud walked in, leaving the door open, and sat down on Tifa's bed. He opened the book.

"The Destiny Odysseys?" He read. Tifa sat down beside him, curling her legs underneath herself and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I've been writing everything I could remember about it. Everyone's stories, struggles, triumphs and defeats. I find that it helps me cope and remember what it was all for. And now that you're here, we can complete it together." Tifa suggested, closing her eyes as she took in Cloud's scent that reminded her of flowering fields.

"Sounds good to me." Cloud agreed. He turned to look at her peaceful face. "In fact it sounds great."

They woke up the next day just as the sun was coming up, its rays spilling through the window, bathing the whole room in golden light. They had fallen asleep from pure exhaustion, Cloud finally being able to truly rest, and Tifa no longer worried sick about Cloud. They didn't have the strength to slip under the covers, so they unconsciously snuggled together for warmth during the night, which is how Marlene found them in the morning.

"Cloud's back! Cloud's back! Hurray!" She cried, jumping on the bed to join the couple. The two adults woke up with smiles on their faces.

"Hello Marlene." Cloud said as he had the little girl's arms wrapped around his neck.

"Marlene," Tifa said. "Go wash up and we'll have a nice, big breakfast together!"

"Yay!" Marlene jumped off the bed and ran downstairs to the washroom.

Tifa rose up, putting her hands behind her back and stretching whereas Cloud was still too comfortable to move.

"Did you dream last night?" She asked him.

"Yes." He replied.

"Of what?"

Cloud rose up and smiled. "Of a never ending field of wild roses."

The End

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><p><strong>AN: Originally this was going to lead to my novelization of 'Confessions of the Creator' with Squall, Tidus and Lightning showing up to tell the love struck couple the battle isn't over (when is it ever?), but I don't actually have the game do I didn't see any point. But I am planning a major Dissida fic to replace my currently comatose Dissidia: Realms. Stay tuned! Before I forget, my apologies on a very 2-dimensional Marlene. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing****!**


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